Adventure Comics #210

Adventure Comics #210 (1955)
by Otto Binder & Curt Swan

Krypto might not be the first dog superhero of DC Comics, but he’s undoubtedly the most influential one.
I’m also considering this the moment when the Hero Origins retrospective steps into the Silver Age: while the era doesn’t properly begin for the entire DC universe for another year, Superboy is DEFINITELY in his own Silver Age.

Honest question: are dog-catchers really as ubiquitous as they seem to be in fiction?
The position is not even a thing in several countries, but every time US media shows a dog-catcher they’ve always caught like a dozen dogs already.
Not too many of them escape like this, though.

I don’t know what worries me the most: the fact that Smallville has this many stray dogs, the way Superboy is handling them (these can’t all be puppies!), or the fact that the dog-catcher is not fazed AT ALL by witnessing a dog smash his van.

Also disturbing: crime rate in Smallville. This is supposed to be a very small town (hence the name), but there are constant robberies despite the fact that it’s protected by a guy who at the time is the only superhero on the planet.
I find it very interesting that, while post-Crisis Superman and most adaptations keep the Kents alive during Superman’s adulthood (a choice that I very much enjoy), Pa Kent is ALWAYS a farmer and never owns a store.

The Smallville criminals are absolute scum, to the point of shooting a dog.
We’re in the Comics Code era now, when apparently showing a dog being shot is considered suitable for children.

This is a good showcase of how much Krypto is visually different from his classic look.
He alternates between looking more realistic and more cartoony, and he’s definitely more muscular.

He also really, REALLY likes Superboy.

He’s also smarter than your average dog, leading Superboy to his rocket.

Examining the rocket gives us an interesting look at Krypton’s space program.
They were still testing rockets with animals, and depicting them using monkeys predates Beppo The Super-Monkey by four years.
I’m sure that the idea of a Kryptonian dog surviving thanks to rocket testing was inspired by the fact that the first dogs in space were from the early 50s.

Speaking of Beppo: from his first story, we know that Jor-El used to have test animals in his lab…

…and yet according to THIS story, Jor-El did not hesitate using his own dog for testing the rocket that will eventually save his son.

One of the things that all adaptations of Krypto need to work around is his age.
After all, since both him and baby Superman left Krypton at the same time, they should have the same age. A few adaptations and continuities introduce suspended animation or weird space anomalies, but if you go by the original the teenager and the dog have the same age.

Considering Krypto is still alive by the time Superman is an adult, there are only two outcomes:
A) Kryptonian dogs live much longer than Kryptonian humanoids
B) Kryptonians in general do not age normally under a yellow sun
I don’t think the point has ever been explicitly addressed, but the Silver Age was shockingly resistant to take a stand whether Supermn ages or not under a yellow sun… so it’s interesting that they didn’t care about Krypto’s situation.

Still, considering that we’re years too early for Supergirl (both in-universe and in reality, as she won’t debut until 1959) this is quite impactful for Superboy: this is the first time he has a direct connection with someone else who survived Krypton’s destruction.
Speaking of which, it now occurs to me that in pre-Crisis continuity Krypto is OLDER than Supergirl!

This is a very heartwarming development for Superboy.
For anyone else on the planet, not so much.

Stop holding dogs like that, Superboy!!!

I understand Krypto is invulnerable so this won’t hurt him, but still weird.

Handling Krypto seems to be a full-time job, so I don’t blame Superboy for trying to keep him in a safe location… but what is the “beware the super-dog” sign supposed to accomplish?

Great job, Superboy. Did you really think the dog would entertain himself chewing bones for an entire day!?

Smooth save, Superboy.

Chasing comets is going to become Krypto’s favorite pastime and the official reason why he disappears for long stretches of time.
This is not a joke.

Krypto is not being a good boy in this issue.

Clark saves his secret identity by making Lana think he was carrying a girder made of light magnesium, and she doesn’t question why he was carrying a girder in the first place.
Sounds legit.

Superboy is probably referring to ladders made of an alloy that contains magnesium, although it would have made FAR more sense if the ladder was made of aluminum.
While magnesium is indeed very light, using it to build ladders is a VERY bad idea because on its own magnesium is indeed lighter than aluminum but it’s also more brittle, more susceptible to corrosion, and in certain conditions it’s highly flammable.
All choices that makes using magnesium girders A TERRIBLE IDEA.

Eventually Krypto gets tired of beign left alone while Superboy attends school as Clark Kent, so he just decides to roam the universe.

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Historical significance: 6/10
While Krypto very rarely does something significant in Superman’s life, he certainly represents a specific feel for the times.

Silver Age-ness: 10/10
Even if Jor-El programmed Krypto’s rocket to reach Earth, it was blown off-course for at roughly 15 years. And then BY SHEER COINCIDENCE the rocket not only lands on the same planet, but ON THE SAME SMALL TOWN.

Does it stand the test of time? 6/10
An extremely simple story, perhaps more than a little naïve, but surprisingly modern in other aspect. It does address the logistical problems of owning a super-dog, especially when you have a secret identity, and Krypto doesn’t have a single thought balloon.

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How close is this to the modern character? 8/10
Krypto’s history is fascinating. In many ways he’s a symbol of the most far-out ideas of the Silver Age, which modern interpretations have tried to remove… and in doing so, ironically they ended up restoring Krypto’s original concept.

Krypto is back only 4 issues later, still with the original design but now showing signs of more humanoid intelligence. Now we can read his thoughts, although he explicitly can’t understand human speech.

He doesn’t start regularly wearing his cape until his third appearance, in Adventure Comics #220, although he first gets it to perform in a circus.

He gradually gets smarter, and we can consistently read his thoughts.
Although on one occasion, in Adventure Comics #239, a strange meteor (not explicitly identified as Red Kryptonite) temporarily gives him the ability to speak.

While he does lose his voice, the story ends with Superboy making sure he’ll be able to hear himself speak forever.
Because I guess this was easier than using a tape recorder.

In case you’re wondering yes, Krypto DOES have super-ventriloquism too.

The more cartoony design is replaced very gradually by the classic one; Adventure Comics #259 is likely when the transition happens.

Krypto appeared quite frequently on Superboy. Special mention to the time he turned into a Collie and gave birth and to the time he turned into a cow to burn Chicago.

Surprisingly for the Silver Age, Krypto never really bothers with a secret identity.
The only case I could find isSuperboy #131 (where he’s doing this on another planet).

It’s not until 1980 that he poses as the Kents dog, by applying some paint on his back and posing as “Skippy”.

I would personally have gone with Bark Kent.

We even learn his genealogy!
I’m guessing that “ypto” means “dog” in Kryptonese.

Krypto was so impressive that he outdid his master. While Superman was a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes and the Justice League at separate times, Krypto was technically a member of TWO super-teams simultaneously.
Specifically the Legion of Super Pets (which we’ve already seen)…

…and the Space Canine Patrol Agents (which I will eventually cover, because how could I miss that insanity?).

Krypto’s golden years where when Mort Weisinger was the editor of Superman’s books: his successor Julius Shwartz didn’t like him so 1971 marks a considerable drop of Krypto’s appearances.
He shows up in 1974 in a two-part Green Arrow story, where Krypto has amnesia.

That’s not resolved until 1975 on Superman #287. Schwartz is still the editor, but writer Elliot S. Maggin evidently convinced him. As he explained in a 2006 interview:

A man needs a dog. A superman needs a superdog.
ELLIOT S. MAGGIN

But the Superman writers were really trying to distance themselves from the more out there concepts of the Silver Age, so Krypto really struggled to find a place.
He did have a 10 part storyline on Superman Family between 1977 and 1978, but little else.
Although that’s easily the most modern pre-Crisis Krypto story.

Surprisingly Krypto is NOT in Crisis of Infinite Earths, so in a way his last pre-Crisis appearance can be considered Alan Moore’s Whatever happened to the Man of Tomorrow?.

Krypto’s post-Crisis journey is complicated to say the least.
John Byrne was adamant in making Superman THE last survivor of Krypton, so Krypto was erased from continuity… although he did manage to write his Pocket Universe version.

A new Krypto was introduced in 1993’s “Adventures of Superman #501”, but this was just a regular Earth dog adopted by Superman’s supporting character Bibbo.
He was supposed to be called Krypton, but that was too long for his dog tag!

The 90s Superboy later became this Krypto’s owner, even though they couldn’t stand each other, and this version stuck around until 2000.
Notice Krypto is a different breed now… we’ll get back to this look in a different media.

A new Krypto is introduced in 2000: he originates from an artificially created alternate reality with a version of Krypton much closer to the pre-Crisis version, sort of a redo of the Pocket Universe.
Superman brings Krypto back to his universe with him, but there’s a crucial difference between THIS Krypto and the earlier one.

We never read his thoughts and he seems to act entirely like a dog.

At this point Superman’s continuity with regards to his origins becomes a complete mess for me, both because of constant retcons and because I stopped reading him regularly.
He does show up in a few reboots, including one where he’s HUGE.

At some point Krypto returned to his classic origin, but the fact that he acts like a dog has remained constant.

He’s also more frequently paired with Superboy and ESPECIALLY with Supergirl, which is interesting considering that in the Silver Age they barely interacted.

He’s even had his own spinoff.

Which doesn’t mean he doesn’t hang out with Superman anymore…

…and you do NOT disrespect Krypto in Superman’s presence.

In terms of adaptation, Krypto shows up all over the place.
Most notably he was absent from the DC Animated Universe of the 90s and early 2000s, but he did get his own cartoon in 2005.

His live action debut, of all places, is in the 2018 Titans series.
I haven’t seen it, but given the reputation of the series I have little faith this is a good adaptation.

Most notably, in 2025 Krypto is a major character in James Gunn’s Superman movie.
This version got a bit of criticism for being a different breed from the Silver Age Krypto…

…but he sure looks a lot like the post-Crisis Krypto who was from Earth, doesn’t he?

Krypto is admittedly a very silly idea, and I get why some readers might not get into it.
But how can you possibly not love this good boy?